


Lake George

by Just_Call_Me_Floss



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Fluff, Lake George, M/M, Road Trip, literally only fluff, six underground premier, we love that stuff here wooooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24998578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Call_Me_Floss/pseuds/Just_Call_Me_Floss
Summary: A snippet of Ben and Joes road trip up to Lake George
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Joe Mazzello
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21
Collections: Bohemian Rhapsody Cast Summer 2020Event





	Lake George

**Author's Note:**

  * For [laminy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laminy/gifts).



> So sorry if this is not what you had in mind but I took the prompt and just ran with it! Hopefully, you'll like it nonetheless.   
> Also, apologies if there is a lack of realistic consistency, just picked a few things and, again, ran with it!

He didn’t think he’d ever get over this part of his job. He loved it, every single moment, but as Ben was blinded by the lights and was pulled from one interview to another, he let himself revel in the moment. He signed autographs and smiled wide, trying to give each person his full attention and at least a greeting, but sometimes there were too many and he had to leave with a pout.

Six Underground had pulled him away from the press tour for Bohemian Rhapsody, but he loved the action film a lot. He had great fun working with everyone, hopefully having made some good friends and certainly has a few interesting stories up his sleeve for future sharing of anecdotes. But when he was finally taken inside the cinema, finally able to breathe and think for a moment, when he saw his Queen castmates, his loyalties were not hard to find. 

Ben strode over, Rami and Joe and the rest of the group had yet to notice him, but he got their attention when he threw his arm over the redheads' shoulders and pulled him close. 

Although having only seen them the day before, already having the catch-up-over-coffee, there was something different about them all being dressed up and at a premier. It was weird for the blond that the attention had fully been on him this time, half expecting to look over to see the media hordes surrounding the Hollywood couple and begging to be told again about how great filming Borhap had been, but he had none of that. Of course, fans asked who was there, had they actually seen Joe before, and Ben just smiled and proudly declared, “yep, he’s my date tonight” with a shy smile before moving on again. Because it was true. Technically, Joe was listed under Ben’s date. It just so happened that they were dating in private as well, but it’s not like the organisers knew that.

He’d gotten tickets for the others with relative ease, and it’d make the whole experience so much better to be sharing it with his group, but when they’d first asked all those months ago who Ben wanted down on his list, Joe’s name passed by his lips before he could even think about it. An automatic response. Who else would he want to spend time with other than his boyfriend? It had come as a bit of a blow that Gwilym couldn’t be here, but he was busy filming elsewhere, and although not there in presence, he’d sent over about four dozen texts about how proud he was and how he’d wished he could’ve been there. Said he’d enjoy watching it on Netflix as soon as it dropped. 

“Benny,” Joes arm moved naturally to Ben waist, pulling him closer and hiding a kiss against his cheek. It was natural now to hide little affectionate moments when out in public, it was like playing a little game. It was great, and they both loved doing it, making up for not being able to hold hands publicly or actually confirm they’re together, although many suspected it. “Already been inside and looked at the seat. You sure you’re not gonna be ignoring me for Reynolds, are you?” 

“Oh, is Ryan next to me?” Ben beamed as Rami nodded. 

“It’s alright, we know you have more famous friends than us, we’ll only cry for three days,” Rami shrugged, although reached forward and grabbed Bens shoulder, giving it a joking shake as they all passed jokes around.

“You got an Oscar, mate, you’re a god among us”

“I’ll grace you with my presence then, your welcome”.

Ben had gotten on well with the Canadian and it’d be nice to be able to spend a bit more time with him. They’d just done press for the film, although the group had been shifted around and did quite a few individual interviews. 

An usher called them all through, now that all the stars were inside. Falling in step with Rami, the two caught up and chatted as they were led to their places. It was weird when Ben and Joe moved to the front, and the rest of the Borhap group were a few seats back, but at least they were all there together, all able to enjoy a night of a premier and party. He didn’t know if they’d be getting many of these opportunities anymore - with them all being able to come together and support their friends - so Ben was determined to enjoy it.

After the usual pre-film thank you’s and acknowledgements, Joe grabbed Bens hand as he sat down and beamed a proud smile towards his boyfriend. Blushing as the lights dimmed and the screen came to life, Ben squeezed their interlaced fingers a couple of times before they both turned their attention towards the screen.

He heard the rest of the group whoop a bit when he was first on-screen, and got a joking nudge in the ribs from the Hollywood mega-star next to him.

\----

Not being able to remember most of the night before for the amount of alcohol drunk, Ben can only dare to imagine the amount of terrible dancing he’d done last night. Probably confessed his love to Joe about a million times and probably clung to Rami for a good hour. 

Shifting through to the living room, it only took him a moment to remember that yep, Rami was bunking in Joe’s living room, still mainly in his suit on the pull out sofa bed. He chuckled softly to himself, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he went to the kitchen area, only to find his previously missing boyfriend hiding behind a massive cup of strong black coffee. 

Automatically, Ben went over to his side, somehow ducking under his arm to plaster himself to Joe's body, pushing them both back against the counter as he grumbled against his neck.

“Ain’t ever drinking vodka again,” he whined, still having the taste in his mouth. They both knew that was a lie, and Joe snorted, taking a long sip of his drink before palming off the mug to the blond clinging to him. Ben mumbled a thanks before taking a few eager gulps. 

He had flashbacks to the party during his stolen drinks and wondered if Rami would have a scar from that failed keg stand. It hadn’t been hard to convince their friend to bunk at Joe’s rather than taking a longer ride back to his own place. They said “stay at Joe's” and he said “okay” and got in the car with them.

It was well into the afternoon, but that didn’t mean they were going to skip breakfast. After kicking Rami awake and they were all somewhat more presentable and showered, the three of them argued for way too long on what to order. They ended up getting a large array of stuff from two different places and waited eagerly on which greasy contraption would end up coming first. Ben and Rami’s choice knocked on the door thirty seconds before Joes, meaning the losing pair had to tip both delivery drivers. 

It made the taste of late breakfast even better. 

Eventually though, after a great lazy day of naps and terrible film viewings, Joe kicked Rami out of his flat, because he and Ben had to pack. 

They had a road trip to go on. 

\--------

The cold December morning did nothing to damper their moods. Although the whole state seemed to be covered in thick clouds, Ben still seemed to radiate sunlight. Joe glanced over a few times as he was driving, catching glimpses of him patting out the beat against the window, muttering the words to whatever song was on. He held his camera on his thigh, one hand wrapped surely around his trusty companion. Joe could help but smile whenever he got to see Ben in these peaceful moments.

About two hours into the drive, they pulled up to this little diner on the side of the road. There didn’t seem to be many people around, although the views were incredible. Parking the car up, they both let out small grunts as they stretched their legs, Joe decided that he was going to lunge the entire car park up to the front door which wasn’t helped by Ben shoving at him as he giggled with each yell of betrayal from the older man. Eventually, they were able to get a seat in the thin building. 

More like an old train carriage, the place was small - a counter running up one entire side, the seats were under the windows and let them look out onto the quiet road and surrounding trees and other few small buildings. It was cute, and as they sat down, Joe pulled his phone out and snapped a selfie, Ben half taken by surprise, but when you date Joe ‘Chaotic Energy’ Mazzello, you had to expect a few surprises thrown in the mix. His own phone pinged a moment later, the photo being sent to the Band group chat. 

The food was alright, nothing exceptional, but they both downed as much coffee as they could. It was cold out, even if warmer inside and Joe let Ben use that excuse to continue wearing that beanie inside. He did get tired of the sunglasses though and snatched them from beautiful green eyes after only a few minutes of having to stare at the dark circles. 

They talked about their usual things, sharing banter back and forth as they ate a plate of fries between them. Under the slightly sticky, mug rim stained table, their legs pressed against one another, making their points more emphasized by pushing their knees, letting their minds wander a bit as feet brushed over ankles. Throughout their secret relationship, they used small hidden touches to have their own little way of rebelling against the secrecy. Of course, they could come out, would mean they could do all the things they wanted too, but they’d seen how people had reacted to other costar couples; saw how they cried PR Stunts and wouldn’t give them peace. And neither the American nor the Brit wanted to become the new gay couple of Hollywood. So it made the days of retreat all that sweeter - where they could escape the world and be the two of them. It was great. Maybe when they both fade back into the underbelly of stardom, they might consider confirming they’re together, but for now, the Jurrasic Park kid and that dude from EastEnders were pretty happy being themselves. 

It wasn’t long until they were back on the road though, Joe still having to drive due to Ben not knowing how to on American roads. They played eye-spy, argued about eye-spy, and then played eye-spy again until eventually, they were pulling up to the shorefront of Lake George.

“Ah,” Joe leant against the roof of his car, half stepped out as he pouted slightly and squinted. “Well, I didn’t think it was going to be so cloudy”. He stepped out fully and slammed his door shut, a bit disappointed that the weather couldn’t work in his favours this one time. He’d come here a few times with his parents, had great memories of his dad here, but it had always been super sunny and glorious.

“It’s the middle of December, Joe, what did you expect?” Ben moved around to the front of his car, glad when the moody redhead came to stand next to him. “It’s nice though”. Sunglasses tucked in his pocket to avoid his boyfriend throwing them in the water, Ben looked around. The low lying cloud actually made the place seem more dramatic with small peaks of hills coming up every now and then as the cloud thinned, some trees viewable along the other side of the long lake. 

It was actually great that they came here in winter - meant the usual holiday goers weren’t around, and the locals had grown up seeing these sights, so they didn’t care to come down and shiver next to the water. With a quick glance around, the Brit noted that they were alone, the next people a good distance away, so he slipped his hand into Joes which earned him a soft smile.

They walked, hand in hand, and had the peace they both had been wanting for so long. Joe tells Ben stories of their family trips here, gets a bit misty eyed when mentioning his father, but he doesn’t stop smiling. Ben had already known this place was special to Joe, it was half of the reason he agreed on the short road trip, and he just squeezed Joes hand or rubbed the back of his knuckles when Joe needed that little extra help to get the words out.

“Wait, actually-” Joe stopped suddenly, craning his neck backwards and started to tug Ben with him as he started walking towards a docking slope, “we have a bunch of pictures like, right here, and it’s kind of a-a tradition to get one,” Joe gestured towards the concrete slowly descending into the water. “I would kinda like to get one of you?”

Ben turned to his boyfriend and smiled wide. “Yeah?” Joe nodded, and Ben couldn’t resist leaning in for a quick peck of his lips. Joe gave him a few instructions as the blond made his way down there, and he got in the right position. “Use my camera for some better quality ones if you want!”

Joe did just that, getting some photos he knows will end up on his wall. He grabbed his phone as well, and laughed as Ben pulled out the sunglasses as a response. “Diva!” 

Ben flashed through some dramatic poses as he laughed, before resettling into a neutral pose. Likely there’d be a photo on Instagram or something, so he better be sensible. He had a reputation to keep up. 

They carried on around the lake for a bit, hardly getting anywhere with how big it was, but as pathed trails started to become muddy and less defined, Ben complained about his white shoes and they turned around. Getting back to the car, they turned the heating up high and just sat there for a while, staring out at the lake in silence. 

Reversing out and onto the road, Joe used his memory to get them to the little hotel the Mazzellos usually use. They were staying one night before going up further to Canada, this being more of a lay-over that Joe just happens to love the place of. How could he not bring Ben to the family holiday spot?

As they pulled up, it looked the same as always. Stunning really, with stained glass in the wooden door, high ceilings and soft lighting inside. But there were a few things which made it feel like the place Joe could remember running around as a kid. The weeds sticking up from around the foundations, paint peeling up on the corners, spider webs hiding away just enough to be passed over. It may have been taken over by new owners at some point, but it was still the lodge Joe knew and loved.

This time, when they got out the car, they hauled their bags out. Only the overnight bags this time, but when your two relatively well known actors, one of which had literally had his film premiered just over a day ago, you tend to pack a bit heavy.

Ben groaned as he swung both up on his shoulders, waving off Joe’s ‘helping’ hand (who would’ve just complained about how much stuff he himself had packed) and they went up the few creaking steps and into the reception.

Warm, inviting colours drew them in, a few old oil paintings up on the walls with landscapes of the surrounding areas, a big one just over the front desk showing Lake George in mid-summer. Ben glanced around, elbows propped up on the desk as Joe got them checked in. The blond pulled off his sunglasses and put them back in his pocket again, really letting the environment sink in. It looked like off to the right was a sitting room, full of overly stuffed furniture and an out of tune piano. It looked over the lake, or, well, the heavy clouds right now. He couldn’t help but wonder if baby Joe had played in there a few times, having spotted a children's corner with toys piled high in a box. Maybe the kid from Jurassic Park had some dinosaur toys he would share with the others. On the other side of the hall was a formal dining room. A long table in the middle, probably about twenty chairs around it, a few smaller and more private tables and chairs placed closer to the walls. It looked nice enough, but it was hard to picture the Mazzellos sitting around there. Maybe they’d recently remodeled the place. 

His mind was drawn back as Joe finished the process and had ahold of the keys, pressing against the small of Bens back with his hand to indicate to move. Up the stairs and around the corner, they had one of the views of the lake, and Joe instantly went over to the windows to look at it. Ben placed their bags on the floor and went over to his boyfriend, arms wrapping around his waist, standing behind the redhead and gently kissing at his neck, tugging the scarf off and letting it fall to the floor.

“Thank you, Joey,” he kissed the exposed flesh lazily, glancing out at the view the same as Joe did, “for making me feel special”.

Joes hands came to cover Bens on his belt, just letting himself be held for a moment and letting him kiss along his neck. “You’re amazing, really,” he mused, interlacing their fingers, “got a great film coming out, filming another good couple and instead of resting you decide to stay here with me, honestly I should be the one saying thank you”.

“I’ll stay with you as long as you’ll let me,” Ben kissed the words into Joes skin, teasing it gently with his teeth. They both settled for a moment and took time to really appreciate them both being here. 

“Gotta say though,” Joe hummed, tapping his fingers across the back of Ben’s hand before turning in his embrace. He reaches up and holds his face in his hands, “never had sex when visiting Lake George”. He started to slowly move forward, Ben grinning as he has to walk backwards.

“I’d be fuckin’ concerned if you had, Joey, seeming as you come here with the family”. He feels his legs hit the end of the bed and sits down, looking up at Joe who reaches up and grabs the beanie, pulling it off and throwing it somewhere, getting Ben to laugh. 

“Could’ve picked up one of the hot chicks,” Joe shrugged, pushing at Bens jacket until it falls off his shoulders, Ben doing the rest of the work and letting the garment go off in the same direction as his hat.

“Got no doubt in that at all,” Bens hands rubbed against the outside of Joes thighs as he smirked up at the older man. “You and your reputation of sleeping around. Surprised you haven’t been kicked out of Hollywood yet”

Joe laughed, ducking down to kiss Ben, the blond leaning backwards onto the bed and making Joe straddle him to keep the kiss going.


End file.
